Page 2100 - war-and-peace

vividness. Having heard at dinner that Princess Mary was
in Moscow and living in her housewhich had not been
burnedin Vozdvizhenka Street, he drove that same evening
to see her.
On his way to the house Pierre kept thinking of Prince
Andrew, of their friendship, of his various meetings with
him, and especially of the last one at Borodino.
‘Is it possible that he died in the bitter frame of mind
he was then in? Is it possible that the meaning of life was
not disclosed to him before he died?’ thought Pierre. He re-
called Karataev and his death and involuntarily began to
compare these two men, so different, and yet so similar in
that they had both lived and both died and in the love he felt
for both of them.
Pierre drove up to the house of the old prince in a most
serious mood. The house had escaped the fire; it showed
signs of damage but its general aspect was unchanged. The
old footman, who met Pierre with a stern face as if wishing
to make the visitor feel that the absence of the old prince
had not disturbed the order of things in the house, informed
him that the princess had gone to her own apartments, and
that she received on Sundays.
‘Announce me. Perhaps she will see me,’ said Pierre.
‘Yes, sir,’ said the man. ‘Please step into the portrait gal-
lery.’
A few minutes later the footman returned with Dessall-
es, who brought word from the princess that she would be
very glad to see Pierre if he would excuse her want of cer-
emony and come upstairs to her apartment.

2100 War and Peace